The present invention relates generally to sun visors for vehicles, and, in particular, to the shape of the edge of the sun visor.
Over the past several decades, automobile designs have become safer in many respects, one of which relates to the interior compartment the driver and passengers occupy. Specifically, the design of dash boards, steering wheels, handles, control knobs and other interior components has become smoother and softer. Generally speaking, hard, protruding surfaces have been replaced with softer, rounded surfaces wherever possible. One interior component which has undergone such improvements is the sun visor.
One sunvisor design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,118 (Crotty, III), owned by the assignee of the present invention and hereby incorporated by reference. The design disclosed in the '118 patent involves an outer cover assembly which folds unto itself and sandwiches a core member therebetween. The exterior cover assembly is made of a cloth or vinyl upholstery covering, which is adhesively bonded to a semi-rigid foundation, typically formed of kraft paper. The upholstery cover is made larger than the foundation and thereby folds around the edges of the foundation. Thus, when the sun visor is folded in half, the outer edges of the cover assembly are sandwiched together and define the profile of the sun visor. The core member is disposed between the foundation halves and connects to a rod, which in turn connects to the interior headliner of the vehicle.
It is desirable to improve upon the above-referenced design.